Slipping Away
by charmschoolreject
Summary: Kim is forced to choose between her rescuers while the rest of the third watch is on the hunt for a killer.
1. Chapter 1

"C'mon Alex, we have a call" said Kim Zambrano as she bolted to the bus parked in the ambulance bay of Mercy Hospital.

Alex Taylor jumped in the driver's seat and hit the siren button as she sped away from the hospital.

"Was there an accident at the high school?" Alex inquired as she heard her partner repeat the location back to the central dispatcher.

"There was a shooting, PD and FDNY are on the way" she replied softly.

When the paramedics pulled up to the school, they were met with a scene of mass chaos. People spilled out onto the streets, crying and hugging each other for comfort. As Kim and Alex leapt out of the bus, sobs and cries of "Why would he do this?" assaulted their ears. PD and FDNY had not yet arrived, but Kim could hear the sirens approaching.

"Where are the kids who have been hurt?" she asked a trembling young girl who was standing closer to the front entrance than the rest of the students. 

"In-inside," she replied, her voice shaky, "in the principal's office."

"Where is that?" asked Kim hurriedly 

"He killed himself" the girl blurted.

"What?" exclaimed Kim.

"Jesse, he just started shooting at us in the principal's office. We were in a prom committee meeting. Then he shot himself. I laid on the floor pretending I was dead, there was blood everywhere, then I jumped out the window, but my friends are still in there, I couldn't get them out." The girl explained as she began to sob.

"Ok sweetie," Kim attempted to comfort the girl, "I'm going to find your friends and try to get the to the hospital ok?"

"Please help them" the girl cried.

Kim raced around the corner and into the building and didn't hear the police and firemen shouting at her to stop. She looked down the hall and saw a sign directing her to the principal's office. When she stepped inside, she saw four teenagers lying in a pool of blood. Trying not to choke, she checked their pulses and discovered that one was still alive. Just then her radio crackled to life and she was warned to get out of the building until the police could track down the killer and secure the building.

"The killer shot himself, he's dead. I have a kid who is still alive in here and I'm not giving up on him. Someone get a gurney in here fast!" she yelled into the radio. She heard the clicking of footsteps down the hallway. 

'Finally' thought Kim, "they've let Alex in with the gurney."

A look of surprised registered on her face when the person standing in the doorway wasn't her partner.


	2. Chapter 2

Outside, the police had forbidden anyone from entering the building, even though Kim had told them the killer was dead. 

"We don't know that the building is secure yet" Ty explained to Alex, who was itching to help her partner. "Bosco and Yokas are working on it now". Ty was secretly relieved that Alex was safely by his side, rather than in the building.

Just then a tremendous noise shook the ground and a ball of fire exploded from the school. 

"Kim!" yelled Jimmy, who had arrived at the scene of the shooting moments earlier.

"Alex, are you ok?" Ty asked the paramedic as they picked themselves up off the ground.

"I'm fine, but Kim is still inside!" she replied, swallowing the lump in her throat.

A look of horror passed over the young cop's face as he realized what could have happened to Kim, Bosco and Faith. Firefighters sprinted past the pair towards the burning building, with Jimmy in the lead.

********************************

Bosco rolled over and groaned.

"What the hell happened?" he mumbled. When the memory of what had just occurred came back to him, he started to yell. 

"Kim? Are you alright?" When she didn't answer, he began to crawl around the office, trying to find her. He finally spotted her, her leg pinned under debris.

"C'mon Kim, wake up," Bosco pleaded. "Dammit, open your eyes Kim, c'mon!" 

Kim's eyes slowly fluttered open and she began to cough. "Bosco?" she questioned quietly, "what are you doing here? What happened?"

"The building exploded, the shooter must have planted a bomb. Can you get up, we have to get out of here now?!" Bosco asked

"I can't get out, I'm trapped. Bos, you have to tell Joey and Jimmy I love them ok?" Kim said as tears sprung to her eyes.

"Like hell I will. I'm not leaving without you. We'll get you back to your boy." Bosco told Kim. Their eyes met and Bosco could see her relent, as if she'd ever had a choice in the first place. 

"I am going to try to see if I can get you free, hold on." He told her. Ignoring the searing pain in his chest, Bosco went to work to free the trapped paramedic.

Kim screamed in pain as Bosco lifted the debris off her leg. Her tortured cries were killing Bosco, in addition to the severe pain in his chest. But he continued working until he freed her.

"Ok, let's get out of he…" Bosco stopped short as he realized the doorway was blocked by flaming wreckage.

"Shit" mumbled Bosco. "What now?"


	3. Chapter 3

'Oh God, Kim, what's happened to you?' thought Jimmy, feeling panic gripping him. 'Concentrate Jimmy!' he admonished himself. 'Focus and you'll get her out. Just get her out'

As he plunged further into the fire, flames licked the walls and ceiling.

"Kim!" he shouted again and again, not feeling the heat that surrounded him.

"Doherty? In here!" Jimmy heard a male voice calling him.

"Boscorelli?" he shouted into the fire. "Where are you?"

"Principal's office, Kim's hurt, hurry!" Bosco yelled to the firefighter

'Oh my God' thought Jimmy, 'if anything's happened to her…'

Jimmy ran to the principal's office and stopped short at the blocked entrance. With one swift kick he knocked the wreckage out of the way and ran to his ex-wife. Jimmy scooped her up in his arms and murmured into her ear "Its ok Kimmy, I'm here now. I'm going to get you out of here."

"Jimmy?" She asked groggily, "Bosco…saved me…explosion"

"Shhhh, it's gonna be ok. Just hang on Kimmy." He cooed to her. "Can you walk Bosco?" he addressed Bosco for the first time. 

Bosco felt a bitter taste in his mouth. Jimmy would always get to be involved in her life because of Joey. 'He's got it so easy, he just waltzes in and out of her life and she falls for him every time. And he's such a jerk to her, she deserves better. I could be that guy for her.'

"I think so" Bosco groaned. "Just get Kim out, I'll follow you."

Jimmy carried Kim over the flaming remains of the office with Bosco on his heels. As Kim's eyes began to close, she gave a weak cough. Jimmy could feel her slipping into unconsciousness and began to run faster towards the front of the building.

"We're almost there Kimmy, stay with me for Joey's sake." Jimmy 'And for mine' added Jimmy silently. He hadn't realized until this very moment how much he loved and needed her. 'I am going to be there for her every step of her recovery' vowed Jimmy. 'I'll ask her to be my wife again and we'll finally be able to be a family'

****************************************

"I hope Bosco and Kim are ok" Alex said to Faith as they anxiously waited for their partners to be extracted from the burning school. 

"I don't know what I'd do if something happened to Bos" said Faith shakily. 

"You're lucky you were at the other end of the building and were able to get out" Alex told her, absentmindedly.

"I'd rather be in there with them, I feel so damn useless just standing here watching while our partners are in danger." Replied Faith, equally distracted.

As time passed and there was no sign of Kim, Bosco or Jimmy, Ty became more thankful that Alex was safe outside. He walked up behind her and circled her with his arms. Alex was swept by a feeling of safety and comfort, equally glad that Ty wasn't inside the building.

"Kim will be ok, I'm sure Jimmy will have her out here any second." Ty tried to convince Alex.

"When they do I'll be ready for her." Alex replied with false confidence, trying to convince both Ty and herself that she was ok.

They all heard a noise and their heads turned. Jimmy burst out of the front entrance with Kim lying unconscious in his arms. Bosco followed, stumbling, behind them. Alex, Doc and Carlos all rushed to the trio and started treating Kim and Bosco for their injuries and loading them into the busses. Ty drove Alex's bus so she could treat Bosco for smoke inhalation and broken ribs while Doc and Carlos rushed Kim to Mercy, Carlos attempting to relay the situation to the hospital and treat Kim at the same time.

"Doc!" Carlos exclaimed in alarm. "Drive faster, she's crashing!"


	4. Chapter 4

"Mercy's around the corner." said Doc anxiously. He peeled the bus around the corner and flew into the ambulance bay to a crowd of waiting ER doctors and nurses. Carlos spouted off Kim's vitals as he continued to do CPR on her, keeping her frail body alive until the doctors could help her. Kim's gurney was rushed into a trauma room and a doctor took over for Carlos, who remained standing beside the body of his friend.

"Neito, give us some room to work!" shouted one of the doctors

"Common Carlos, we can wait outside, we don't want to be in the way" the always calm Doc encouraged his more volatile partner. Carlos, trance-like followed Doc out of the room and sat down in the chairs outside. He didn't look up from his feet until he heard Alex's unmistakable voice calling his name.

"Carlos? How's Kim? Where is she?" she asked as Ty walked up behind her.

"She crashed in the bus. I hope we got her here in time." Carlos replied, dejected. 'I should have taken better care of her' he thought to himself, even though he knew that sometimes no matter how good the care, the patient may still crash.

"Oh God, please let her be ok" Alex quietly prayed.

"What about Bosco?" Doc asked "Is he gonna be ok?"

"He's got some broken ribs and inhaled a lot of smoke. He was in a lot of pain, but he'll be ok. God only knows how he managed to walk out on his own though." Alex informed him.

"Yeah, well maybe his attitude finally came in handy" Ty chipped in.

********************************************

"I'm so glad Jimmy could get to you in time" Faith told Bosco, who lay recovering in his hospital bed.

"Right, he's a real freakin' hero" Bosco snapped back, them groaned in pain.

"Would you stop getting so worked up? You're gonna hurt yourself more. What's your problem anyway Bos? Jimmy ran into that building without waiting for backup. It was stupid sure, but kind of romantic in its own way, saving Kim like that. Very, 'knight in shining armour'"

Bosco simply snorted in reply. "Must have been tough taking Kim from me and running out of the building with her" he mumbled. Unfortunately for him, Faith was close enough to hear him. 

"What do you mean took her from you? You're not a fireman Bos, despite how you might try to act like one" she laughed.

"He didn't lift that table off her with broken ribs Faith, so be careful who you call a hero in all this." Bosco jealously informed her. "Not that it makes a difference, all Kim will remember is Jimmy. He's all she ever sees anyway" Bosco sighed and closed his eyes, signaling the end of the conversation.

'What the hell is he on about?' Faith thought as she quietly left to let Bosco sleep. 'He's never cared what anyone thought about him before, why does he care that Kim is still in love with Jimmy, or who she thinks it was that really saved her?' 

"Sweet merciful crap!" she yelled, blushing as the nurses on the floor turned to stare in her direction. "Sorry, I'm very sorry" she told them and then scooted to the elevator. She hit the button and stood against the back wall in disbelief. 'I can't believe I didn't see it before' she thought to herself. 'Bos loves Kim, that's why he's so caught up with her and Jimmy and who she thinks did what in this whole situation. That explains why he's always had such a bad, competitive relationship with Jimmy. Wow, I'm pretty thick not to have picked up on that, wake up Faith!' 

*******************************************************

Downstairs, a doctor finally emerged from Kim's room and approached the waiting foursome.

"We have managed to stabilize Ms. Zambrano" he informed them. "She has some internal bleeding that we need to repair, so she is on her way to surgery now."

"She's going to be ok though, right?" Carlos asked anxiously.

"Its pretty touch-and-go right now, we'll have to wait and see. You can go up to the surgical floor if you want to wait for her if you want, although you may not be able to see her tonight. I suggest you all go home, get some rest and come back in the morning." The doctor replied.

"Thank-you doctor." Doc said as Alex collapsed into a chair, head in her hands.

"Alex…" Ty said as he sat down beside her. "Kim will be ok, she just needs some time to heal, the doctors here fixed me up great, remember?"

"This always seems to happen to the people I love." Alex said as a tear rolled down her cheek. She quickly brushed it away. "First my dad, then you, now Kim" she continued, as more tears escaped. Ty reached his hand up and gently wiped them from her face.

He thought to himself, 'I think she just said she loves me!' 

Immediately guilty for feeling that momentary elation while Kim was fighting for her life, he promised Alex, 

"I'm ok, and I'm here for you, and Kim will be ok too."

"I'm going to wait for Kim up in surgery. I won't be able to sleep until I see for myself that she is ok anyway. Anyone coming?" Alex asked. Ty got up to follow, 

'No way am I letting Alex go through this alone,' he thought.

"We had better get going Carlos, we clean the busses and get them back" Doc offered.

"Thanks guys, see you tomorrow" Alex said as Doc left, Carlos trailing behind like a sad puppy.

'If Kim dies, I won't be able to forgive myself' he thought, unable to shake the feeling of guilt. 'I'll always think there was something more I could have done for her. She was one of the only people who were the least bit nice to me when I first got here, she just has to survive. I owe her.'


	5. Chapter 5

"Just let me go find out how she is, I'll come right back for my stitches, I promise." Jimmy promised the nurse cleaning the small gash from where he'd hit in the burning school.

"I know you better than that Jimmy Doherty, you're staying right here until the doctor sews you up." the nurse replied, a touch of bitterness in her voice. She then turned and quickly walked out of the room.

"Figures I'd get a nurse I've slept with.' He half-heartedly joked to fellow firefighter D.K.

"You've gotta admit, those odds are pretty good Jimmy" D.K. replied, laughing.

"I'm such an idiot D.K." Jimmy confessed.

"You've got no argument here buddy." D.K. jokingly responded, not hearing the changed tone in Jimmy's voice.

"I'm serious D.K. I treated Kim like crap while we were married and afterwards. I love her, and I pushed her away." Jimmy sighed.

"No use beating yourself up over it Jimmy, I think she's forgiven you by now anyway. I've seen how she looks at you." D.K. encouraged.

"I hope so D.K. 'cause as soon as she's better, I am going to get her back." Jimmy vowed.

*********************************************

_The next morning_

As Alex and Ty lay crumpled together, sleeping in chairs outside of Kim's recovery room, Jimmy paced the hallway quietly. None of them had left the hospital the night before and their rumpled hair and wrinkled clothes were dead giveaways. A nurse quietly approached an obviously distressed Jimmy.

"Would you like to see her now Mr. Doherty?" the nurse asked? "She's heavily sedated, but the doctor has given the ok for her to have visitors. She probably won't wake up, but she may be able to hear you." She kindly added.

"Thank-you," Jimmy said as he headed toward his ex-wife. He pulled chair up to the side of the bed and took her hand in his.

"I don't know if you can hear me or not Kimmy, but I'm going to talk to you anyway. I called your mom, but she's still in Europe, she's flying back as soon as she can. Joey is with my mom, she'll bring him here to see you as soon as you wake up. Joey misses you; he really wants to see his mom, so you have to wake up soon ok?" Jimmy took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly. "I miss you too Kim. Not just now, but I realized that I always have. I'm so sorry that you had to get hurt for me to realize it, but I need you. You have to wake up Kim, I love you, and I never stopped loving you. Please wake up" he pleaded.

Suddenly, Jimmy noticed Kim's eyelids momentarily flutter open. She looked into his eyes, but too exhausted and medicated to stay awake, she let out a comforted sigh and closed her eyes again. Jimmy felt tears welling up in his eyes as he felt her softly squeeze his hand.

***************************************

Alex and Ty peered into the room at Kim and Jimmy, deciding their visits could wait. 

"They wasted so much time." Alex absently remarked.

"What do you mean?" Ty asked, snapping Alex back to reality.

"Oh, it's just that it's so obvious that they love each other. They have since they met practically, they just created too many problems to work out of" she replied.

"Yeah, Jimmy was a real shit to Kim though. I don't blame her for being wary of him." Ty retorted.

"I know, I know, but everyone saw how they still looked at each other. There's hurt there, but a lot of love too. This whole thing just puts life in a new perspective. Everything seems so trivial when you see how it's keeping two people who love each other apart. Life is so short and fragile, it seems a shame to waste time." Alex explained.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Ty's mind racing. 

'I know I love Alex, and I think she loves me too' he thought. 'Maybe I should just go for it and ask her. I don't want to lose her, and I can't really picture life without her either. She's right, life can change or end unexpectedly, it seems so stupid to waste precious time together.'


	6. Chapter 6

Faith rounded the corner on her way to Bosco's room, still thinking about what she'd discovered the previous night when her cell phone rang.

"Hello?" she answered. "Oh hi boss… Really? Are you sure? Ok, well, I'm going to check on Bosco, and then I'll be down for my shift… Ok, bye." Mouth gaping, Faith entered Bosco's room to see what resembled a pouting little boy.

"How can they expect me to lie around all day Faith? I mean, there are people who need to be here way more than I do." He moped.

"Bos, I have some bad news…" Faith started.

"Oh shit, Kim!" Bosco exclaimed. "Is she ok? The nurse told me she was going to be ok? What the hell happened Faith?"

"Kim's fine Bos, well, still stable at least. I was just on the phone with Lieutenant Swersky." She assured Bosco.

"Well what then? Don't leave me in suspense." Bosco pleaded.

"They were interviewing witnesses to the shooting, and they think there is another killer out there somewhere." Faith's voice trailed off.

"That's fucking it! I'm not sitting around here while that jag-off that hurt Kim is still running around." Bosco shouted as he started to pull his IV out of his arm.

"Bos! What are you doing? Do you really expect to catch anyone with damaged lungs and broken ribs?" Faith yelled back as she tried to force her partner to lie down.

"I can't just do nothing Faith!" he argued. "When I find this guy I am going to beat the hell out of him." 

"That's another good reason not to go after him. Its too personal for you, you'll probably kill the guy, and I don't want your ass to end up in jail over some psycho. He's not worth it Bos. The best thing you can do is stay here and heal. Faith reasoned, "Go visit Kim and make sure she's ok if you feel like you have to do something." She added, knowing that Kim was the only thing that might keep him in the hospital long enough to heal his broken body.

"Fine" he grumbled. "I am going to see Kim right now then, get me outta here."

***********************************

Mere minutes later, Bosco shuffled down the hall toward the elevator.

'I hope she's ok,' he thought to himself, 'and there's no way I am letting Jimmy get her back without a fight.' He slowly got into the elevator and gingerly turned around, careful of his injured rib cage. When the car stopped at his floor, he headed towards the nurses' station. 

"Kim Zambrano's room" he half stated, half asked the nurse on duty.

"Are you family?" she asked.

"No, I'm just a friend." Bosco sadly admitted.

"I.C.U. doesn't allow non-family at this time of day sir, you'll have to wait for visiting hours" the nurse tried to deliver the bad news as nicely as possible. Bosco, not easily deterred from a goal snapped,

"I was in the building with her when it exploded, I freed her from burning wreckage and I want to see her and make sure she's ok."

"Well, I…I guess it would be ok…" the nurse stuttered. "Room 5"

"Thank-you" Bosco replied through clenched teeth. He walked towards a sleeping Kim and noticed Jimmy slumped over in a chair, Kim's hand in his. Bosco's expression went hard when Jimmy woke with a start.

"Boscorelli? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in bed?" He asked, somewhat kindly.

"I wanted to see Kim. Make sure she was ok." Bosco tersely replied.

"Well, now you see she is, so you can go" Jimmy tried to force Bosco out of the room.

"Look Doherty…" Bosco wanted to have it out with Jimmy right then and there, but one glance at Kim made him hold his tongue. "Don't you have to be at work?" he finished. Jimmy looked at his watch and cursed quietly. He leaned over and kissed Kim on the forehead.

"I'll be back after my shift Kim, I promise. And I'll bring Joey to see you." He said, shot Bosco a dirty look and left. Bosco walked over to the side of the bed and sat in the chair Jimmy just vacated.

"I'm so glad you're ok Kim…" he started, when Kim opened her eyes.

"Bosco? What are you doing here?" she asked in a whisper.

"I came to check on you." He softly replied.

"Nice gown" she joked.

"Yeah, well, it flatters my figure" he said playfully. "I'm so relieved you're ok," he added "when I saw you lying there after the explosion I was so scared…"

"Shhhh…" she quieted him. "I'm going to be ok. I know what you did in there Bosco, and I'm eternally grateful. So is Jimmy."

Bosco snorted.

"He is Bos, he may not show it, but he is." She tried to convince Bosco, mistaking his reaction to be one of disbelief, not jealousy.

"If you say so Kim, you know him better than I do." He replied, putting his hand over hers. Not cluing in to the gesture, and utterly exhausted, Kim's eyes closed and she fell asleep. Bosco stayed in the chair beside her for hours, watching the steady rising and falling of her chest. 

'She's beautiful. I can't believe I haven't told her before. Well, things will change now. I'll be the one here for her during her P.T.' he thought, 'if I know Doherty, he'll take off when he realizes things are getting frustrating. That jag-off never could stick around when things got tough.'

*******************************************

Sorry the last couple of chapters haven't been very exciting and kind of sappy. Things will pick up soon, I promise. Thanks for the reviews, I really appreciate it!


	7. Chapter 7

When Ty arrived at roll call, he couldn't get Alex's words out of his head. 

'Maybe I should take this as a sign or something. Someone or something kept Alex safe so we could have a shot at a life together. What else could it be, it could have just as easily been here in there,' he mused.

Faith and Sully quickly brought him back to reality. They told him about the killer that was still on the loose and a puzzled look crossed his face.

"I thought he shot himself?" he asked, perplexed.

"We found out there were two of them." Faith replied. "One only sustained minor injuries. The paramedics must have triaged him and released him, not knowing who he was." None of them were prepared to admit it, but the cops were glad to have someone to catch and bring to justice. Suicide didn't seem like an adequate punishment for nearly killing two of the people they all loved. They left the building heading for the squad cars with a renewed sense of purpose. Faith left with a temporary partner while Sully and Ty prepared to hit the streets. 

"Its amazing that the other killer was right there and no one noticed. The paramedics probably even triaged him and sent him on his way." Sully grumbled.

"It was total chaos Sully, you saw it. No one knew whether _they were coming or going, much less who else was," the young officer offered insight beyond his years._

"I guess you're right Davis." They drove around the corner in silence. As if a light bulb had appeared over Sully's head, he suddenly stopped the car and said, 

"I can't help but think that Doc, Carlos or Alex had him right there, maybe if we describe him they'll remember." Sully offered

"Well, if we catch him, they can I.D. him as being at the scene at least, but there were so many people, I doubt they'll remember. Alex never mentioned anyone in particular." Ty momentarily dampened Sully's newfound energy, but the veteran officer said,

"That's because she wouldn't have known who he was at the time Davis, of course he wouldn't stand out, and especially not when she was worried about Kim and Bosco. We should at least ask; it can't do any harm."

"It might" Ty mumbled, thinking to himself 'I know her, she'll feel awful if she treated and released a killer, regardless of the fact that she couldn't have known who he was at the time.'

********************************************

At the firehouse, Doc and Carlos sat eating and talking in hushed tones when Alex walked up the stairs.

"Alex, what are you doing here? You're more than entitled to some time off right now." Doc offered gently.

"I can't sit around at home, there are people out there who need saving. If I can't help Bosco and Kim, I can help someone else." She replied courageously. "What were you guys talking about anyway?"

"It seems like there's another killer out there." Carlos blurted. Doc smacked him on the back of his head. 

"Way to go Carlos" he hissed.

"What?" Carlos exclaimed, much louder than the obviously delicate situation demanded. "She's gonna find out sooner or later anyway."

"What do you mean? I'm not any more upset than anyone else about a second killer."

"We figured out that you must have…" Carlos started again, when Doc kicked him under the table. "Ow! Ok already! Geez Doc"

"You really are the least sensitive person I have ever met Nieto," was all Doc offered in response.

"Doc? What's going on? What did you stop Carlos from saying?" she asked timidly. Doc sighed and then launched into as kind an explanation as he could muster,

"Alex, Sully and Ty just left about ten minutes ago. They left a description of the second killer, who they said must have been treated and released at the scene. Neither of us recognized him. That means you must have treated him…"

"And let him get away" Alex finished as she slumped into a chair.

"No, look, Taylor, we knew you would feel like that, that's why we didn't tell you." Doc tried to comfort her, "you couldn't have known who he was. You did your job and did it well. You treated his injuries and moved on to other patients. You didn't do anything wrong Alex, got it?"

"I guess you're right" she mumbled as her mind screamed 'How could you let him go? He blew up your partner! You should have known; you should have seen a sign! Now there's a killer out there and you made him better.'

"What did he look like?" she sighed, wanting to see if she could at least remember who he was. Doc and Carlos gave her the composite sketch the officers had left with them. She sat desperately trying to recall the face and the treatment she'd provided him, but it seemed that the harder she tried, the harder it was to remember anything about any of the patients she'd treated that day.

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	8. Chapter 8

"Mommy!" Joey yelled gleefully. Jimmy grabbed him by the collar right before he jumped into Kim's lap.

"Easy there tiger. Mommy's still trying to get better, so we have to be careful ok?" Jimmy told his son.

"Ok Dad. You're gonna be ok soon right mommy?" Joey asked.

"I'll be better before you know it sweetie." Kim reassured the little boy.

"Then you can come home and daddy and I can take care of you." Joey said hopefully. Jimmy and Kim exchanged glances and Jimmy winced when Kim said,

"Joey, me getting hurt doesn't change anything between daddy and I, things will go back to normal when I get better."

"Well, we'll see. Maybe mommy can stay with us for a little bit until she is ready to go back to work." Jimmy said hopefully and looked at Kim with puppy dog eyes. Kim could feel herself being taken in by Jimmy's charm and good looks again.

'Nothing has really changed after all we've been through, I still find him irresistible' she thought to herself.

"Daddy and I will have to talk about it Joey" Kim replied, unsure whether she wanted to take the risk of having her heart broken again. The adults remained silent as Joey gave his mother a hug and started playing with the toys he had brought. All three turned when Faith poked her head in the door.

"Hey guys! How are you feeling Kim?" she asked.

"Much better now that my boys are here." Kim smiled and looked at Jimmy. 

"Joey, why don't you go play with your toys outside?" Jimmy asked his son.

"Ok dad" Joey replied.

"Right outside there where I can see you." Jimmy instructed.

"I will." Joey said as he bounced out of the room. 

"What really brings you up here Faith? You wouldn't be here during your shift just to visit." Jimmy asked.

"I had to bring in a junkie before we can take him to lock-up," Faith explained, "so I thought I'd come and check on our heroic paramedic here."

"That was really sweet of you Faith. I'm doing much better. Hopefully I can go home sometime later this week. Hey, what do you mean heroic anyway? I was just doing my job." Kim replied, slightly puzzled. 

'I didn't realize I was going to be blown up, or I wouldn't have gone into the building. I'm not stupid, I have Joey to think of,' she thought.

"Going in there and trying to save people when a killer was running around, that was above and beyond Kim." Faith replied.

"The killer shot himself Faith. I wouldn't have gone in there if I thought he might have still been armed and dangerous." Kim tried to reason with the cop.

"Oh my God, you haven't heard yet…" Faith began and her voice trailed off. 

"What's wrong Faith? What haven't we heard?" Kim said softly.

"After interviewing witnesses we determined there were two killers. We're still hunting for the one who lived." Faith reluctantly informed the pair. Jimmy instinctively moved closer to Kim and placed a protective hand on her shoulder. Kim reached for his hand without thinking.

"Don't worry; everyone in the precinct is looking as hard as they can for this guy. It shouldn't be long until he's in jail." Faith tried to reassure them.

"All the same, I think I'll stay here with you tonight Kim." Jimmy offered.

"Its ok, I'll be fine Jimmy. Why would that guy come back here anyway?"

"For my own peace of mind I just want to make sure you are safe. My mom can pick up Joey and he can stay with her tonight." Jimmy argued.

"Ok Jimmy, if you want to." Kim relented, secretly happy that he wanted to stay with her to protect her; even if it was from someone who probably wasn't even a threat. Jimmy plunked himself into the chair beside Kim's bed as Joey walked in and jumped into his lap. Kim gazed at the pair and was overcome by a feeling she hadn't experienced since she and Jimmy were married.

************************************

Just as Doc and Carlos had given up all hope that Alex would remember the killer and started to question their own possible involvement, Alex sat up with a start.

"I have to call Ty!" she said excitedly

"What? Why? What could you possibly tell Davis that he doesn't already know? He gave you the sketch, not the other way round. Plus it took you a damn long time to remember anything at all." Carlos piped up.

"I know that you idiot!" Alex admonished. "This guy had more than cuts and scrapes. I had to take Bosco to Mercy so I couldn't stay to see whether this guy went too, but he needed a few days in the hospital!" she couldn't seem to convey her message to the other paramedics fast enough, beyond relieved that she'd finally remembered the killer.

"I'll radio central" Doc offered, "they can send Sully and Davis over there to check it out."

"I'm going to get to the hospital to make sure Kim's ok" Alex said anxiously.

"I'll go with you, we can take the bus." Doc offered, concerned for both Kim and Alex, "Common Nieto, lets go."

"But I'm comfortable!" Carlos whined. 

"Shut-up Nieto!" Doc and Alex exclaimed in unison as they both headed for the door. Carlos reluctantly followed, not thinking Kim was in any real danger. 

"I'm sure Jimmy's with her. She'll be fine," he tried to convince them to stay put.

"I already stood by and watched her explode; I'm not going to let that happen again." Alex explained to Carlos.

"Women…" Carlos muttered and shook his head. "She's fine!"

"Are you coming or not?" Doc asked.

"Of course I'm coming. You think I'd sit around when the killer might be at the same hospital as Kim?" Carlos mocked.

"You're a real piece of work, you know that Nieto?" Alex sighed, resigned to dealing with Carlos' sometimes rough nature. She knew that if he really thought Kim was in trouble, he'd be the first one of them to jump to her rescue.

**************************************

The cops' radios crackled to life.

 "55-Charlie, 55-David. Possible school shooter at Mercy Hospital. 10-4." 

Ty stomped on the gas pedal and flipped on the lights as Sully responded to the central dispatcher on the radio.

"One of the paramedics must have remembered sending him to the hospital" Ty said in disbelief. Sully sat with a contented grin on his face and said nothing. 

"You can say it" Davis sighed.

"I don't need to say it; I am just enjoying sitting here with both of us knowing I was right." Sully said, with a satisfied smile on his face.

'I may be older, but I can still teach Davis a thing or two' he thought to himself. Davis sped the RMP towards Mercy hospital and pulled into the ambulance bay just before Doc's bus arrived.

"Is he here?" Alex shouted as she ran up to Ty.

"We're not sure, we're going to check." He replied.

"So which one of you treated that creep anyway?" Sully asked, still proud of his idea that could lead to an arrest.

"I did…" Alex replied, her voice trailing off almost before she finished speaking.

"No way could you have known," Sully said gruffly, trying to cover the fact that he'd just shoved his foot firmly in his mouth. "Let's go Davis."

"He's right Alex. You had nothing to do with this. If you hadn't remembered we may not have ever found him. Don't worry." Ty tried to reassure Alex, who didn't look convinced.

"Davis! Let's find this guy before he has a chance to leave…" Sully snapped, still embarrassed for making Alex feel bad. The cops walked into the hospital, followed by the paramedics. 

"I wonder where Faith and the rookie are." Sully pondered aloud.

"I dunno." Ty replied, "they're car is here, I'm sure they're looking for this guy too."

"Guess you're right. Time to find this bastard." Sully said with a grim and focused look.

Once inside, Sully and Davis began checking the ER and asking the nurses if they'd seen the shooter while the paramedics stepped into the elevator and headed up to Kim's room. 


	9. Chapter 9

Bosco, restless, bored and feeling much more like his old self got out of bed and made his way to Kim's room.

'If I can just talk to her, maybe I can convince her that I am way more worthy of her than Jimmy is' he thought. He hit the button inside the elevator and leaned back as the car descended towards Kim's floor. As he walked towards her room, he saw Jimmy walk out and turn towards him.

"What do you want now Boscorelli?" Jimmy asked, feeling jealousy start to creep up on him.

"I'm here to see Kim, so if you wouldn't mind…" Bosco replied, equally as rude.

"Actually I would Bosco. Kim's had a long day and she doesn't want to see you." Jimmy antagonized.

"Why don't we let her be the judge of that?" Bosco snapped as he tried to push by Jimmy into Kim's room.

"I said get out of here Bosco" Jimmy said and shoved Bosco backwards. Ignoring the pain in his ribs, Bosco swung his fist at Jimmy's face. Blood dripped from Jimmy's nose as he stared at Bosco in disbelief. 

"Christ Bosco! What the hell are you doing?" He exclaimed.

"Common tough guy." Bosco taunted. "You think your womanizing self is good enough for Kim, lets see you prove it." Jimmy struggled to keep from lunging at Bosco's throat.

"I don't want to beat up an injured cop Bosco, let it go." Jimmy tried to reason with an irrational Bosco.

"That's what I thought Doherty" Bosco started in on Jimmy again, "You're not even man enough to fight for her!"

"That's it Boscorelli, you're a dead man" Jimmy yelled as he finally lost control and started swinging at Bosco. He managed to dodge the first punch, but fell with a sickening thud when the second made contact. In the blink of an eye he was back on his feet and running at Jimmy. They both toppled over and started rolling around on the floor, throwing punches left and right. Just as they were beginning to attract the attention of the nurses, doctors and Kim, Doc, Carlos and Alex stepped off the elevator. All three ran toward the entangled men and tried to pull Bosco off of Jimmy. It took both Carlos and Doc to finally pull Bosco away as Alex grabbed Jimmy's arm and made him back off.

"Just let him be, Jimmy. He's hurt and frustrated." Alex tried to calm Jimmy down. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine!" Jimmy snapped. When he saw the hurt look on Alex's face he added, "Sorry Taylor, I didn't mean to get angry with you. He came after me, and when it comes to Kim, I tend to lose my head." They both heard Bosco yelling from across the hallway

"Get the hell off of me! I'm not gonna beat on Doherty anymore; I'm just going to talk to Kim!"

 "Like hell you are!" Jimmy yelled back, when they both heard a small female voice,

"Come in Bosco, its ok." With a triumphant glance in Jimmy's direction, Bosco marched into Kim's room.

"Sit down Bos" Kim softly ordered. Bosco sat down in the chair beside her bed. "Are you ok?" she asked.

"Yeah, Jimmy's a lot worse off than me." He tried to joke

"This isn't funny Bos; you were acting like five year olds!" she admonished. Bosco looked at his feet, ashamed of his behavior.

"I'm sorry Kim" he mumbled. "I just wanted to come see you, and he wouldn't let me" Bosco said, immediately realizing that he did sound like a child. "Look, Kim," he tried to start again. "I think you deserve someone better than Doherty. You're too good for him."

"And you could be that someone better?" Kim gently prodded, realizing where Bosco was trying to steer the conversation.

"Well, yeah, I could Kim. I would never cheat on you. I would love you and protect you." Bosco poured his heart out.

"Bos…" Kim tried to find the right words. "I'm sure everything you say is true, and if it weren't for Jimmy I would be jumping at the chance, I really would. But…"

"There's Jimmy" Bosco finished, sucking in giant amounts of air through his nose, trying to fight the tear that threatened to slip down his cheek.

"Yeah Bos. I love Jimmy, I always have, and he's really been proving himself lately. I already have a child, Jimmy's his father, and you deserve your own kids. You're going to be a great husband and father one day; you'll find the right person for you. I promise." Kim tried to comfort Bosco, who was still trying to hide the fact that he was upset. The pair sat in silence for a while until Bosco finally swallowed the lump in his throat and sighed,

"It's ok Kim. I think in the back of my mind I knew this was coming. I had to try."

"Friends then?" Kim timidly asked.

"Definitely. You didn't think I'd let you get away that easy did you?" Bosco smiled, albeit sadly.

"Good, now I think you and Jimmy should sort out your issues. I don't want you guys fighting, especially over me." Kim said with fake sternness.

"Yes mom." Bosco joked and got up to leave. Before he turned to leave, he looked fondly at Kim, leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"I'm serious about being friends Bosco." Kim said as he walked to the door.

"So am I Kim." He replied and left to find Jimmy.

"Hey Doherty!" he shouted in his typical obnoxious, although endearing style. Jimmy approached him with some caution.

"You ready to go again Bosco?" he asked, only half joking. Bosco sighed.

"No Doherty. I think she must have hit her head in that explosion 'cause she says she loves you." Bosco reluctantly admitted. Jimmy tried to fight the smile that crept onto his lips.

"You're really taking this like a man Bosco." Jimmy remarked.

"You expected different?" Bosco asked, feigning disbelief.

"Of course not!" Jimmy joked. "Hey, did you hear, they think the other shooter is here in the hospital."

"What? And I'm wasting my time with you people? I've got to start looking!"

"Are you nuts?" Alex joined the conversation and after pausing added, "wait, I already know the answer."

"Who's already looking?" he asked "Is Faith here? I've got to find her." Bosco started to look a bit hysterical.

"Yeah, Faith's here, but she has a partner with her. You really should go get some rest and try to heal your new injuries." Alex counseled the agitated cop.

"You mean the rookie? I'd be more help to her in a hospital gown than him" he said and headed for his room to change into his own clothes.

'I don't exactly command respect in this piece of paper' he thought to himself, and grinned as his own wit.

"Better to just let him go" Jimmy told the group. "He's gonna find a way to be there whether it's good for him or not."

**************************************

"Sir, please, you have to get back into bed and lie down" the nurse said.

"Look, I'm bored stiff here, and I have to pee" the boy told her.

"That's what the bedpan…" the nurse started.

"Don't even finish that thought. I am not using one of those things!" the boy said and marched toward the washroom. On his way, he spotted a wanted poster on the staff bulletin board. Trying to look natural he broke into a cold sweat as he continued down the hallway. He saw Sully and Davis talking to nurses and searching rooms. He felt panic overcome him and bile rise in his throat.

'They've found me' he thought.

Out of the corner of his eye he spotted Faith leaning against the wall. His mind working in overdrive, he leapt at her, grabbing her gun out of its holster and held it on her neck.

"Make a sound and you're dead" he whispered to her. "And don't even think about going for that radio." He finished as he shoved her into an empty room. He pulled the blinds closed and locked the door.

"Sit down on the bed" he said quietly, still pointing Faith's gun at her. She complied as images of Emily and Charlie flashed before her eyes.

"Look, I'm sure we can work this out so no one gets hurt" She shakily tried to reason with her captor.

"No, no one cared before, why should now be any different? You're my ticket out of here. If you just do as I say, no one else will get hurt," said the obviously unstable youth.

"Ok, just calm down" Faith continued to reason with the boy.

"Just shut-up and let me think!" he hissed at her and stuffed the gun down the back of her neck. Faith tried to fight off the tears that were welling up in her eyes.

'Someone will realize what's happened soon, they have to. Someone will find us. Sully and Davis will get here in time, please let them get here in time' she silently prayed.

***********************************


	10. Chapter 10

Bosco, having changed out of his hospital gown into civilian clothes took the elevator to the ER. 

'If anyone thinks they're gonna stop me from helping Faith catch this guy, they have another thing coming.' He fumed, getting angry in anticipation of what he thought the other officers would say.  The elevator dinged, signaling Bosco's arrival on the correct floor and he stepped into the ER. He spotted Davis poking his head behind one of the curtains and ran up to him.

"Davis, where's Faith?" he asked, out of breath from lying around in bed for days.

"I don't know Bos, the rookie's over there, but I haven't seen her in awhile. She's probably looking somewhere else. What are you doing out of bed anyway? I thought your ribs were broken." Davis sounded skeptical, certain he knew what Bosco was planning.

"They are, but I'm fine, thanks Davis. I'm gonna go talk to the newbie and see if he knows anything." Bosco defended himself.

"Good luck!" Davis joked. Bosco made a beeline for the new cop. 

"Hey! Rookie!" he shouted as he jogged over. "Where's Faith?"

"I'm… uh…well…" the rookie stuttered, intimidated by Bosco's overwhelming presence.

"Great, that's what I thought. I'll take over from here newbie."

"B…but officer Boscorelli, you're injured and not working." The rookie said, obviously unfamiliar with Bosco's temperament.

"What do ya know? I'm all better." Bosco replied sarcastically as he set off in search of his partner. After looking for five minutes he started to get worried.

'Where the hell could she have gone? This floor isn't that big!' he thought.

"Hey Sully! Davis!" he shouted. "You seen Faith?"

"Nope" they both replied.

"What about this guy? Is he here?" Bosco pressed. The pair walked up to Bosco, Sully wore a grim expression.

"We do think he's here Bosco." He hissed "but he won't be for long if you keep shouting it to the rooftops!"

"Right. Where have you looked?" Bosco attempted an apology.

"We've check out ¾ of the rooms; we just have one section left to go." Sully informed him. "I don't suppose there's a way to talk you out of helping is there?" 

"Not a chance!" Bosco replied. The three cops continued the search, Bosco getting more concerned for Faith with every passing minute.

'Something just isn't right. She would be taking care of the newbie, there's something wrong.' He thought. He walked up to the room with the blinds drawn and a curious expression crossed his face. He tried to turn the doorknob and felt it stiff under his hand.

'What the hell?' he thought. Suddenly the realization of what must have happened crossed his mind.

"Sully! Davis!" he hissed and motioned them to the door as he pressed his ear against the glass. His expression turned from worried to grim and focused when he heard the sounds from within the room.

*********************************

Faith and the killer both heard someone trying to turn the doorknob.

'Thank God they found me' Faith thought until she noticed her captor. He was pacing the room mumbling to himself, and it looked like he was about to cry. He was starting to get frantic and Faith became more afraid for her life as the killer got more desperate. She got up off the bed and started to move toward the door when he grabbed her. The boy barely older than her daughter held her gun to her head and whispered,

"I told you to stay put! I _will kill you if you don't listen to me."_

"It's ok, just calm down." Faith spoke as loud as she dared.

"Calm down? I can't calm down, I have to think." The boy replied, panicking. They heard the sound of shuffling feet outside. Then a voice boomed

"Open the door Colin! The police have surrounded the room, come out and no one will get hurt." As Colin listened to Sully, Faith slid to the door and unlocked it. Her captor heard it click and refocused his attention on her. He pointed the gun at her and yelled,

"Get away from the door bitch! I told you to sit the hell down!" Faith moved back closer to the killer, tears welling up in her eyes again. Thoughts of her children, Fred and Bosco filled her mind.

*******************************

"I heard a click" Bosco told Sully. "Faith must have unlocked it." 

"Let's wait for backup Bosco. They'll be here in a second." Sully counselled. "You already made us lie to scare him. We don't have the place surrounded!"

"Faith is in there with a killer! I'm not waiting for anyone and I'm not letting him think he has a way out either!" Bosco angrily replied. Without waiting for anyone's approval, Bosco slid his hand to the knob and slowly turned it. Left with no choice, Sully and Davis pointed their guns at the door. His own gun drawn, Bosco flung the door wide and flew into the opening. He was greeted with a sight he hadn't been prepared to witness. Faith stared at him with pleading eyes, relieved to see him in the doorway. The killer stood, arm straight out, gun pointed at Faith. Tears streamed down his face and he was shaking uncontrollably. Sully and Davis softened slightly as they saw a scared and confused boy, but Bosco grew more determined as he saw a killer threatening the life of a person he loved. The world seemed to move in slow motion as he leapt off the ground and onto the killer. Colin's eyes widened and he seemed frozen like a deer caught in headlights. As Bosco flew toward him, Colin, seemingly in a trance, pointed the gun at his own head. Tension reached a climax as Faith screamed and Sully and Davis ran toward the toppling pair, yelling at the killer and at their colleague. As Bosco and Colin fell to the ground, the frightened boy pulled the trigger and the room fell silent.


	11. Chapter 11

The two bodies landed with a sickening thud and both lay motionless on the floor as a pool of blood spread underneath them.

"Bosco!" screamed Faith as she rushed to his side without concern for her own safety. Bosco slowly rolled off of Colin and the other cops could see that the blood wasn't coming from him. All of the officers stared at the obviously dead boy in silence.

"Bosco, you saved my life" Faith said softly, still nearly in tears.

"It's my job" said Bosco mechanically. Faith looked into Bosco's eyes and saw that they were glazed over and he was somewhere else entirely. Sully and Davis backed out of the room and went to get a doctor to pronounce Colin. Faith took Bosco by the arm and led him to an empty room.

"Bos?" she gently tried to bring him back to reality. When she got no response, she guessed what was wrong.

"Bos, there wasn't anything you could have done to stop that kid." She soothed. Bosco finally looked at her with the clear blue eyes she remembered.

"That kid nearly killed Kim. He got what he deserved." Bosco paused and took a deep breath when Faith looked at him inquisitively. 

"If I'd been there you never would have had to go through that Faith." He started to pour his heart out, and Faith tried to cover up her look of surprise. Bosco didn't notice or didn't care and continued, 

"I should have been there Faith, we're partners. If one gets into trouble, the other is there. That's how it's supposed to work, but I messed up."

"Bos, incase you forgot, you were in the hospital because you got hurt saving someone's life. Today, your job was to get better, not to save me. But you did anyway. I'd say that went above and beyond." Faith tried to comfort her longtime partner.

"Yeah, I know. But if I hadn't spent so much time chasing a woman who was obviously in love with another guy, then I could have been here sooner." He confessed.

Faith started to get irritated, "Bosco, I am only going to say this once, so listen up!" Bosco looked slightly taken aback at her tone, as a child would when being scolded by a parent.

"You are a great cop and I wouldn't choose anyone else as a partner and you can't imagine how relieved I was to see you standing in the doorway. You didn't fail anyone today, got it?" Faith finished.

"Yeah, ok." Bosco replied. They stood up and patted each other on the back in a half hug.

"Hey what happened to the newbie anyway?" Bosco asked, attempting to lighten the mood.

"I don't know. He's probably wandered off somewhere again." Faith answered.

"You should get a leash." Bosco joked.

"Not a bad idea!" Faith agreed and they both cracked up as they walked down the hallway. 

**************************************

Alex, who'd brought in a patient, was filled in on the situation from an ER nurse. When she spotted Ty, she ran up behind him and circled his waist with her arms. A smile spread across his mouth as he turned to face her.

"Hey, I heard what happened. Are you ok?" she asked, her concerned look slowly melted as she looked him over, still impressed with how he looked in his uniform.

"I'm fine, it was Bosco who jumped on the killer." He reassured her.

"Bosco? But his…" Alex started.

"Ribs are broken…" Ty continued.

"But you know Bosco!" they finished in unison. Alex looked at him with a strange expression on her face.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" Ty asked, confused.

"No, its just…its stupid, never-mind." Alex chickened out.

"Alex, you can tell me. I'm sure it's not stupid and even if it was, I wouldn't care." He reassured her.

"Ok, it's just that no one has ever finished my sentence like that before. See, totally stupid huh?" she laughed, embarrassed.

"No, it's not stupid." Ty comforted Alex. "I thought it was cool too."

"Ok, well, I have to get back and clean up the bus. I'll see you later?" Alex seemed to shrug off her embarrassment.

"Definitely." Ty confirmed and watched her walk off down the hallway toward the door.

'Look at her, she's beautiful' he thought. 'And there she goes. I don't ever want to see her walk out the door, I don't want to spend my life without her' a look of realization, then anxiety crossed his face. 

"I have to ask her now, I can't wait. Screw the setting" he mumbled to himself and he ran to catch up to her. He called out her name and a look of mild surprise crossed her face as she stopped and turned around.

"I have to ask you something." He said, out of breath.

"Well geez, spit it out already, before you collapse!" she laughed.

"Alex, I love you" he started, then paused.

"I love you too, but that isn't a question" she teased.

"I can't picture my life without you. I want to marry you Alex. Will you be my wife?" Ty had never been so scared in his life. Alex looked shocked and for the first time since her father died, tears sprang to her eyes.


	12. Chapter 12

"Alex? Are you ok? Do you need time to think about this?" Ty asked as his brow furrowed.

"No" she said.

"No?" Ty gulped down the lump in his throat. He'd asked about 3 questions and he prayed that this wasn't the answer to the big one. Alex saw the crushed look on his face and realized what she'd said and how it must have sounded.

"Yes, I mean no, I mean, I don't need time to think, no I'm not ok, I'm way better than ok and yes I will marry you!" she finally got out. Ty grabbed her in a hug and spun her around.

"I had you a little worried there didn't I?" she teased as he set her down.

"Nah, I wasn't worried." Ty half-heartedly defended himself and they smiled at each other.

"I really do have to get back to work though; and so do you." She reminded him.

"I know, but I do need a kiss goodbye" Ty requested. Alex was happy to oblige and softly kissed his lips.

"Damn!" Ty remarked and whistled as Alex walked to her bus. She turned and winked at him.

*************************************

Jimmy arrived in Kim's room out of breath. 

"Holy cow Jimmy, you run around the whole hospital? And here I thought you were in pretty good shape!" she joked as she admired his muscled body.

"No, I just heard that the killer shot himself in the ER" Jimmy said.

"Wow. That must have made the cops' lives easier. Did Bosco go down there and try to help? He's so pig-headed sometimes!" Kim said, worry creeping into her voice.

"More like all the time." Jimmy commented.

"Hey, be nice. That stubbornness saved me, remember?" she reprimanded. Jimmy reluctantly filled her in on Bosco's heroics. A kernel of worry still inhabited the back of his mind. 

'Bosco was close to taking her away from me, I couldn't live with him as the stepfather of my son, or sleeping with Kim!' Kim seemed to read his mind and said,

"So Jimmy…they are releasing me in a couple of days and I will need to recuperate and do P.T. and stuff." Jimmy attention quickly turned from thoughts of Bosco to Kim as he wondered where she was steering the conversation.

"Anyway, I won't be able to take care of Joey by myself for awhile and I'll need some help with the P.T." she continued.

"And…" Jimmy hopefully prompted.

"So I was wondering if maybe you might want to relocate. I don't want to rush into anything, we have a lot of history together, but I thought we could see how it goes. You know, live as a family for awhile and see what develops." Kim finished and looked hopefully at Jimmy. She didn't have to wait long for an answer.

"Yes Kim. Absolutely! I want to be with you and I am willing to do anything for you. If this is what you want, then it's what I want too. And I _am the P.T. master!" Jimmy replied with a gleeful laugh. They both smiled contentedly._

"We're finally going to be a family" he said more quietly. 

"Yeah, we took a long road, but maybe we've finally arrived." Kim agreed. Jimmy leaned down and gave Kim a long, soft kiss. When they finally parted, Jimmy sat down in the chair beside Kim's bed, laid his head next to hers and gently stroked her long hair.

"I can't wait until you come home" he whispered.

"I am home Jimmy. You're home for me." She whispered back, feeling totally safe and content for the first time in what seemed like an eternity. As darkness enveloped the world outside, they both closed their eyes and listened to each other breathe.

******************************

That's all for this story, I hope you enjoyed it! Endings aren't my strong suit, so I hope this one didn't disappoint. Thanks for all the reviews, you guys rock!


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